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Review: First Tactical’s Summit Side Satchel

Courtesy of Breach Bang Clear

Review: First Tactical’s Summit Side Satchel
Chris Hernandez

Years ago I swore I’d never do two things: wear a reflective belt or carry a “man purse.” Thanks to the Army, I had to break my promise not to wear a stupid reflective belt. Last week, thanks to First Tactical, I broke my promise not to carry a man purse. And I feel guilty, because I kinda liked it.

FT’s man purse is the Summit Side Satchel, a modestly-priced yet highly versatile laptop/GP bag. Despite being sort of a knuckle dragger who only carried a backpack as a carry-on, I decided to try out a Summit during a recent work trip. I wound up being impressed as hell by its many features and obviously high quality.

The Summit Side Satchel is a messenger-type bag with five external and ten internal pockets. The tablet compartment is foam padded and can fit smaller laptops (I was out of luck with my 13” Mac, but it did fit in the main compartment). It also has two small admin compartments, one fixed and one removable key hook, a felt-lined sunglass compartment, a sturdy and comfortable shoulder strap, and numerous open-top “dump” pockets.

Continue reading on Breach Bang Clear

Photo courtesy of Breach Bang Clear

Double Duty: 6 Fashionable and Functional Pieces of Everyday Carry Gear

Originally published on Tactical Life

Athlon Outdoors contributor Alex Landeen breaks down six different pieces of everyday carry gear that you should check out in Spring 2017.

SCOTTeVEST Enforcer Jacket for Everyday Carry

I have been known to be a self- proclaimed “bag nerd.” I have closets full of sling packs, backpacks, waist packs, hard-sided cases, soft-sided waterproof totes—all acquired in the name of efficiently carrying the things I need. I feel that there is a perfect vessel for every item and every situation. For this same reason I love pockets; they may be empty, but they are always full of potential. Cargo pants, for example, are a great thing, as are cargo shorts, even if some recent trends have labeled them as unfashionable. When traveling and working outdoors, having the right pocket for your gear is important. These aforementioned interests of mine are the reason I was drawn to the new SCOTTeVEST Enforcer Jacket.

This jacket is basically a sling pack’s worth of storage stuffed inside a stylish, waterproof softshell with CCW carry options front and center. Boasting 30 pockets, the designers of the Enforcer Jacket have taken into account almost every conceivable need for everyday carry, or EDC. The two front-positioned Rapid Access panels (aka front zipper pockets) have built-in straps for holstering and sub-pockets for extra magazines, as well as a set of webbing that I found handy for clipping a flashlight and/or a knife onto.

Continue reading on Tactical Life

Photo courtesy of Tactical Life

EDC Bag By First Tactical: Summit Side Satchel

The majority of the population that has adopted a lifestyle of carrying are naturally going to look for gear that is made to help them merge their profession with their EDC lifestyle. Tactical functionality in everyday gear is becoming increasingly popular in the EDC community. But the problem is that the most of the time you are getting the tactical look and feel without having everyday functionality. I think First Tactical has helped by giving us an affordable EDC bag with the Summit Side Satchel. This bag comes in a couple of different colors and is loaded with little features and compartments allowing you to maximize your capacity and conceal discretely if you wish.

POSSIBLE USES

This bag has a length of about 13 inches with a height of 10 inches, which is too small for most laptops out there. But on the First Tactical website, they do not list this bag as a laptop bag, but rather a tablet bag. Personally, I see it as a good on-the-go or even get home bag to stash in a vehicle. In black it can be very discrete, and has plenty of capacity to hold all different types of gear. Here is just a small list of roles that this bag can take:

-camera bag

-travel carry-on

-lunch bag

-work bag

-hiking bag

-vehicle bag

-range bag

MATERIALS

This messenger style bag is made of 1000 Denier Nylon and has 10mm closed foam padding around the inside compartment to protect the items you are carrying. They have placed Molle attachment points on the side pockets and in a couple of the internal areas for your convenience, if you choose to attach things like pouches. The inside of some of the pockets have a material that reminds me of the material that most camping tents are made out of.

Continue reading on Spotter Up

Photo courtesy of Spotter Up